Traffic has resumed in the Suez Canal after the mega ship was finally freed on Monday. Crews worked around the clock for nearly a week.
Conventional excavating equipment worked on the shore to free the ship while dredgers - specialised ships that can remove underwater sand - dug out sand from the canal floor under the bow of the ship.
Salvagers dredged 30,000 cubic metres of sand, enough to fill 12 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
13 tugs, pushing and pulling from both sides, were then used to wrench its bow out of the sandy bank. This was helped by the high spring tides in the canal during the full moon.
The operation was described as "extremely difficult" due to the ship’s size and weight - a massive 200,000 metric tonnes. The efforts were also hampered by wind conditions.
The vessel, which is longer than the canal is wide, veered off course and ran aground in a sandstorm. It had been jammed diagonally across the canal, blocking transit in both directions, since March 23.
The Suez Canal Authority says it will take another three and a half days to clear the backlog of 422 ships.
PRODUCED BY: JO-ANN QUAH